THE BLACK AEROPLANE

FREDERICK FORSYTH
❖ The Dakota was a new aircraft. True or False
❖ The Dakota aircraft was flying over France to England.
“Everything was going well. It was an easy flight”. What went wrong suddenly?
The narrator was looking at an easy flight over France to England as the weather was
clear. As he switched over to his last fuel tank, he saw huge storm clouds and he had no
option but to fly through the storm clouds. In the pitch dark, all of a sudden, all his
navigation instruments including his compass and radio went dead. This put his life in
peril as without fuel, radio and compass he could have easily crashed and died.
How far was Paris from where the aircraft was flying?
Paris was 150 kms behind him.
Why did he not return to Paris?
The pilot did not return to Paris because he wanted to meet his family soon and go on a
holiday with them. He was willing to risk flying through the storm clouds to meet his family.
What was the pilot dreaming of, while flying the plane?
The pilot was dreaming of a holiday and was excited at the prospect of spending time
with his family as well as to have a good, big English breakfast while flying to England.
Why was the black aeroplane going down?
The black aeroplane was going down as it had approached the nearest airport.
Why was the aeroplane twisting in the air?
The aeroplane was twisting in the air as it was being tossed inside the huge storm clouds
and he had no control over his aircraft to steady it.
Where could the pilot not establish contact?
The pilot could not establish contact with the Paris Control room.
Why was the narrator frightened again?
The narrator felt fear to grip his heart when he realized that he had just enough fuel for
another five or ten minutes of flight.
“I will take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
The pilot was keen to meet his family and have a good English breakfast which made him
disregard all safety measures and he entered the huge storm clouds in the old Dakota
without knowing how to navigate through the clouds. His aircraft was on his last fuel tank
and visibility was zero. His old aircraft could have met with an accident. Once inside the
dark clouds, the aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air and all his instruments like radio
and compass stopped working.
Why did it become impossible for the pilot of the Dakota to see anything?
When the pilot saw huge storm clouds in front of him on his way to England, he had no
option but to enter the clouds as he was on his last fuel tank. The storm clouds were huge
and black and had hidden the moonlight and the stars.
How did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?
The black aeroplane rescued the first pilot by navigating him through the dark storm
clouds so that he could land safely without crashing even when all his instruments were
dead, had less fuel and he was flying in zero visibility.
What did the pilot of the Dakota see on the horizon which concerned him?
The pilot of the Dakota saw huge storm clouds ahead of him which caused him concern
as he did not have enough fuel with him to go around the clouds or fly up above the storm
clouds. He had no option but to fly into the clouds so that he could reach England safely.
Describe the sky when the Dakota was flying over France.
At one thirty in the morning, when the Dakota was flying over France, the sky was clear
with no cloud in the sky. The stars were shining and the moon was rising behind the
narrator as he flew his aeroplane towards England.
How did the narrator get out of the storm in the night to land safely? OR
Describe the flight of the Dakota airplane until it landed safely at the airport.
The narrator was flying in his old Dakota when he saw the black storm clouds. He entered
the clouds as he was low on fuel and could not fly up or around them. Once inside, all his
instruments went dead and his aircraft jumped and twisted in the air. Luckily, in those
clouds, he saw a black aeroplane near him. The plane had no lights on its wings and its
pilot instructed the narrator to follow him. The pilot followed him obediently and was able
to land safely. This tells us that with courage, hope and self-confidence we can
surmount(overcome) any daunting task. Fear has to be conquered in order to achieve
success in life.
 HIS FIRST FLIGHT
LIAM O’ FLAHERTY
How did the seagull’s mother encourage and tempt him to fly?
The hungry seagull had plaintively called out to his mother to give him some food as his
father and siblings were not paying any attention to him. His mother picked up a piece of
fish and flew near him but remained slightly away from the ledge. He dived at the fish as
he was starving and he fell headlong into space as he had left the security of the ledge.
Fear gripped him but very soon his survival instinct overtook him and made him flap his
wings and soar in the sky. From a coward and fearful seagull, he became a confident bird
as he knew that his family will always support him.
How many siblings did the seagull have?
The young seagull had two brothers and a sister.
Whose wings were longer- the seagull’s or his siblings’?
The seagull’s wings were longer than his siblings.
What did the seagull see his parents teach his siblings?
The seagull saw his parents teach his siblings to skim waves, to dive for fish and to perfect
the art of flight.
What did his older brother do which made the adult seagulls proud?
The older seagull had caught his first herring and this independent feeding made his
parents feel proud of him.
What sight maddened the young seagull?
The sight of food maddened him as the seagull had not eaten for a day and the blazing
sun was heating up the ledge. Also, the indifference of his family hurt him.
How did his parents initially motivate and cajole him to fly?
The seagull’s parents were successful in teaching his siblings to feed independently and
fly. They wanted to make him independent too. So, they initially called out to him shrilly,
upbraided him and threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he attempted to fly
and leave the security of the ledge.
How was the seagull different from his siblings?
The seagull was different from his siblings as he was cowardly, fearful and did not wish
to fly. He was not only under confident that his wings won’t support him, he was also
scared of the sea which was miles below the ledge. His siblings had taunted him for his
cowardice and later on paid no attention to the fact that he had not eaten for a day. On
the other hand, his siblings were quick to learn how to catch fish and also learnt to fly
without any fear.
What is the message of this lesson?
Fear is a natural emotion faced by young and old alike. We can overcome fear by taking
a decision, acting on it and having faith in our ability. Dealing with fear helps us to
overcome the invisible threads which hold us from achieving our potential and that
success is attained only with hard work. Our family always supports us during our troubled
period and that the parents push their children to excel and become independent
in life.
Why was the seagull afraid to fly?
The seagull was afraid to fly as he was certain that his wings were too weak to support
him and he was frightened of the vast expanse of the sea. He did not have self-confidence
that his wings would be able to support his weight in flight.
Why did the seagull scream with fright once he landed on water?
The seagull alighted to stand on the sea water his legs sank in the water as the sea
surface was not a hard surface.
Why did he relax subsequently?
The seagull tried to rise and fly but he was too tired and weak with hunger and had no
energy to fly. Gradually, he realized that he was floating and not sinking in the sea water
which made him relax and enjoy his
Write the word meanings
a) Plaintively
b) Muster
c) Expanse
d) Devour
e) Brink
f) Beckoning
 THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
Why did Anne feel lonely even in the company of her friends and family?
Anne was a thirteen-year old girl who lived in a good home with loving parents, aunts and admiring
friends. She also had an elder sister along with thirty other people whom she could call friends yet
she did not have a true friend in whom she could confide or share a close bond with. While she
was with her friends, she could only have a good time and talk about ordinary everyday things.
She showed an outward appearance of a chatty and witty girl but she missed a friend whom she
could call as her true friend. Despite a loving family and a huge circle of friends, she was lonely
which made her decide to make her diary Kitty as her best friend.
How did Anne get punished by Mr. Keesing for her talking?
Anne was a talkative child in school which made the Math teacher Mr. Keesing angry at her as she
did not quit (stop) talking despite several warnings by him. One day, he punished her by assigning
her an essay on the topic ‘A Chatterbox’. Anne came up with a convincing argument to prove the
necessity of talking and argued that talking was a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep
it under control. On the other hand, she would never be able to cure herself of this habit as her
mother talked as much as her and Anne had no control over inherited traits. The second time she
was punished, Anne wrote an essay on ‘The Incorrigible Chatterbox’. As she did not quit her
incessant chatter, Mr Keesing told her to write an essay on ‘Quack, Quack, Quack said Mistress
Chatterbox’. With the help of her friend Sanne, Anne submitted the entire essay in verse about a
mother duck and father swan who bit his three ducklings to death as they quacked too much. The
third essay changed Mr Keesing’s behaviour towards Anne and he did not punish her thereafter.
Anne’s intelligence and sense of humour helped her to escape punishment for her loquacious
(talkative) nature. Anne’s erudite (intelligent and humorous) essays made Mr Keesing realize that
she was an intelligent girl and he ceased (stopped) his punishment to curb her talkative nature.
Why is writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne?
Writing in a diary was a strange experience for Anne as she had never written anything before and
she felt that no one would be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year old girl. She wanted to
make the diary as her confidant to share her hopes, dreams, desires and disappointments.
Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Anne wants to keep a diary as she has no close friend and confidant. She was also not very close
to her sister Margot or mother. She feels isolated from the female family members during her
journey into adolescence. She felt a great need to write about her desires, disappointments, dreams
and hopes. She also hoped that the diary would help her get out of her depression and boredom
and provide her comfort.
Why did Anne think that she could confide more in her diary than in the people?
Anne did not have a friend with whom she could share her feelings. Although she had many friends
and spent good time with her friends yet she was unable to share her views and thoughts with them.
When she got her diary, she named it Kitty and decided to share everything with it because she
thought that no one would be interested in her musings and neither would she allow anyone to read
her diary. She treated her diary as her best friend as she felt that paper has more patience than
people.
Describe Anne's relationship with her grandmother.
At the tender age of four, Anne stayed back in Aachen with her grandmother once her parents
emigrated to Holland. Hence, Anne loved her immensely and shared a close bond with her. In the
summer of 1941, her grandmother had to be operated upon and thus Anne did not celebrate her
birthday that year. Anne missed and remembered her grandmother after her demise (death) in 1942.
On her birthday, she lit a candle in the memory of her grandmother.
Discuss that Anne was an intelligent girl in 100 -150 words.
Anne’s academic brilliance can be seen/gauged from the fact that she was not perturbed (worried)
about her promotion to the next class while the entire class was quaking in its boots. Her diary too
is a testimony to her high intelligence as it provides an intimate account of hardship of daily life
endured by the Jews under the Nazi occupation from a child’s point of view. It is one of the few
surviving authentic account of the time and provides rare and invaluable insight into the suffering
of the Jews. Her inventiveness in writing her punishment essays which were amusing and brilliant,
portray her intelligence (Add answer of her punishment by Mr Keesing)
What idea do you form of Mr. Keesing as a teacher? What is that you like most about him?
The Maths teacher Mr. Keesing was a good natured, disciplinarian and a concerned teacher who
wanted students to be serious and concentrate in class while he was teaching. However, he was
short-tempered with Anne and got annoyed with her as she talked too much during his class. He
warned her several times but seeing no change in her behaviour, he assigned her extra homework.
When she completed one task, he assigned her one more essay. He found both the essays humorous
as well as logical which made him laugh at her arguments. This incident portrays his change in
attitude towards Anne. The third time he gave her a ridiculous topic Quack Quack Quack said
Mistress Chatterbox. The verse poem written by Anne transformed the ‘old fogey’ Mr. Keesing
completely. He became tolerant of Anne’s talkativeness and read out the poem in other classes as
well along with his comments. He did not take umbrage (get angry) on the verse poem written by
Anne which shows that he forgave his students’ mischiefs.
‘Paper has more patience than people’. Elucidate in 40 to 50 words
Anne had a great need to lighten the burden of her heart as she was completely alone in the world
despite having a loving family and almost thirty people whom she could call as friends. She felt
that people were not interested in listening to other people’s problems. She missed having a true
friend and felt that her diary Kitty would act as her confidant to contain (keep) her musings and
help her to freely express her thoughts.
Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Anne provides a brief sketch of her life as she felt to begin the story of her life from adolescence
would be abrupt. As it was the story of her life so she writes about the people she cared for such
as her dead grandmother.
What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Anne developed a close bond with her grandmother while she stayed with her for a year.
BACKGROUND (General Info)
On 12th June 1942, a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank receives a diary for her 13th birthday.
In her early diary entries, Anne explains that though she has many friends and acquaintances, she
feels that she does not have one person to whom she can really open up. She regrets her inability
to share her true self with her friends or family. Anne’s perpetual feeling of being lonely and
misunderstood provides the impetus for her dedicated diary writing. Anne expresses gratitude that
the diary can act as a confidant with whom she can share her innermost thoughts.
2. Under the Nazi rule, Jews were segregated from the Christians and had to wear the Star of David.
Anne and her sister Margot went to a separate school for the Jewish children. Due to this
persecution, her father moved to Amsterdam.
3. There was a constant fear of being discovered while the Franks were in hiding. Friends or close
family could also not be trusted as anyone could betray them to the German police. They had to
be secretive as they could not differentiate between friends or foes. Anne died a few months before
the liberation of Germany, by the Allied Forces, in the camp at Bergen Belsen where she was held
after their hiding place was raided by the Nazi Secret Police.
4. Her Diary has become an authentic historical record of the persecution of Jews by Nazis, the ill-
effects of Germany’s policies towards the Jews and the hardships faced by them.
VALUE POINTS
✓ It is an autobiographical account.
✓ Anne is given a diary on her birthday. She calls her diary Kitty. She fills the diary with
details of her life and her classes at school. She finds solace (comfort) writing in her diary
as she feels that she has difficulty opening up to her friends and has no true confidants.
✓ Anne records her perception (opinion) of herself, her family and teachers. Through her
writing, Anne comes across as a playful girl but with mature thoughts. She seems to be
optimistic about the future even during this unusual period of difficulty.
✓ Anne’s perpetual feeling of being lonely and misunderstood provides the impetus for her
dedicated diary writing. Anne expresses gratitude that the diary can act as a confidant with
whom she can share her innermost thoughts.
✓ Anne is a warm and intelligent young girl who shares a close bond with her grandmother.
 A TIGER IN THE ZOO
Leslie Norris
✓ Through this poem, the poet has tried to expose the miserable life of the tigers
caged in the zoo. He has contrasted the life of a tiger in the zoo to his free life in
the wild. The tiger hunts for survival but humans have captured it for fun and
amusement.
✓ The ferocious, regal tiger is born to rule in the jungle and roam freely in its natural
habitat. This brave predator is feared by both humans and animals when it is in the
jungle. In the jungle, there is no restriction to his movement and because of his
excellent camouflage he can kill plump deer when they come near the watering
hole. But in the zoo, he is in a pitiful state as he is no longer free as he is in the
jungle. Human beings subjugate (tame) the majestic tiger by imprisoning it in a
cage.
✓ The poet expresses deep sympathy at the pitiful state of the tiger confined to the
limited space of the cage. His plight is that he has no place to even move in the
cage. The tiger feels cramped in his concrete cell and can barely take a few steps
in his cage. The tiger’s rage is quiet because he is helpless in captivity.
✓ The poet says that if the tiger had been in the jungle, then it would have hidden in
the long grass to kill the plump(fat) deer near the water hole. He would travel to
the edge of the villages to terrify the villagers by his snarling and baring his fangs
(teeth) and claws. This shows the human-animal conflict. The tiger does not want
the villagers to invade his territory.
✓ Human beings have slowly encroached upon the tiger’s habitat leading to human-
animal conflict. The tiger terrorizes the villagers by snarling around their houses
and frightens them by baring its fangs and claws. Maybe he does this to re-
establish his authority over his territory.
✓ This suppressed anger can also be due to the fact that he can’t break the concrete
cell and his strength has been diminished (reduced) because of the concrete cell
and the bars.
✓ The bars of the cage have imprisoned this magnificent animal and he has been
reduced to become a piece of entertainment for the visitors.
✓ The tiger in the cage has no rest during the day or night. During the day, the visitors
trouble him and at night the siren of the patrolling cars disturb him.
✓ The vastness of the brilliant starry sky and the confined space of his cage
intensifies the loss of his freedom. Perhaps he waits for the day when he would be
let out. Example of irony. The poet highlights the contrast of freedom and captivity.

CONFLICT BETWEEN FREEDOM AND CAPTIVITY

✓ Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. No one likes to live in
confinement. Wild animals are meant to live in the jungles or protected areas and
not in cages.
✓ Similarly, the tiger also longs for freedom. He is so unhappy in his cage that he
even ignores the visitors. His quiet rage can be seen in the way he walks in the
small cage. He wants to escape from this captivity as his strength is diminished
and he is no longer free.
✓ God has made all living beings equal and animals too have the right to freedom.
Zoos where animals are kept in cages are not good for animals. In fact, it is cruelty
towards these animals. They have a right to live in their natural habitat and run
freely. Humans should learn to respect the freedom of animals.

LITERARY DEVICES
✓ Alliteration- concrete cell, behind bars, plump pass.
✓ Repetition- velvet quiet and quiet rage (velvet quiet refers to soundlessness of
tiger’s stalking of prey whereas quiet rage refers to seething (controlled) anger.
✓ Brilliant stars and brilliant eyes-. Two contrasting images have been portrayed by
the poet.
✓ Pads of velvet- metaphor
✓ Quiet rage- oxymoron
✓ Rhyme scheme abcb
✓ Note: Singular and plural of deer is deer.